The smokehouse stood where the Davidson family smoked their sausage, bacon, ham, and other meats. On the Rural Hill farm in the 18th and 19th centuries, a cold month like December was the proper time for pig butchering. Fresh pork was packed in salt for about two weeks before being hung inside the smokehouse. A smoldering fire inside continuously smoked the meat for one or two more weeks, and the meat was then left in the smokehouse for up to two years. Properly smoked and perfectly preserved, it needed no refrigeration and was eaten by the family throughout the year. In December 1839, the Davidson family butchered 50 pigs, producing 9,582 pounds of pork, or roughly 190 pounds per pig.